WHITE SPRINGS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service kicks off the 59th Annual Florida Folk Festival today, Friday, May 27 at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. Opening ceremonies will begin at 6:30 p.m. on the banks of the Suwannee River.

Headlining Friday’s festivities will be Nashville recording artist Billy Dean. A native of Quincy, Florida, Billy Dean moved to Nashville in 1983, where he recorded his first top five country music hit Only Here For A Little While. Dean’s unique repertoire has earned him numerous awards and appearances on television shows as well as made-for-television movies. Additional featured performers tomorrow night include SAIL High School Acoustic Ensemble, Sam Pacetti, Ellen & Gary Bukstel and Jeanie Fitchen.

The schedule for Florida Folk Festival activities tomorrow will be as follows:

6:30 p.m. Opening Ceremonies

7:00 p.m. SAIL High School Acoustic Ensemble

7:45 p.m. Sam Pacetti

8:30 p.m. Ellen & Gary Bukstel

9:15 p.m. Jeanie Fitchen

10:00 p.m. Billy Dean

WHITE SPRINGS – The Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Florida Park Service will host the 59th Annual Florida Folk Festival on May 27 through 29, at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. Men of the House will perform on Sunday evening, May 29.

The Florida Folk Festival has inspired the next generation of traditional and folk musicians, Men of the House. Coty and Michael started performing at the 40th Florida Folk Festival when they were only three and five years old, with Peggy Everett’s Young Folk Fiddlers. Ever since, the festival has been a part of their musical and family tradition. Every year the return to run the banks of the Suwannee River, drink root beer floats, enter the fiddle contests, listen to music under the stars and catch fireflies in the moonlight. Michael and Coty (now 21 and 19) have gone on to start their own band and share their love of music as The Men of the House. They are joined by Scotty Cockerham on the saxophone, flute and penny whistle. Jacob Feldheim uses his extraordinary talent to play folk, Irish and blue grass on his cello. The band is rounded up by Mike Granatosky on the guitar. The musicianship of this band is extraordinary as they improvise off of each other’s energy and solos. They are a legacy of the Florida Folk Festival.

One day passes are available for adults for $25 each day and three-day weekend admission passes are $50 for adults. One-time admission of $5 for children between the ages of six and 16 is valid all weekend and children under six years of age are free.

For more information, please visit www.FloridaFolkFestival.com. For more information on Florida state parks, visit www.FloridaStateParks.org.

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